Кому какое дело до того, чем вы занимаетесь в свободное от работы время? Может, кому-то это и не очень интересно, но только не представителям бизнес-школы, в которую вы подаете документы. Ведь многие хорошие идеи приходят не во время работы, а в момент принятия душа или игры в боулинг. Ваша работа – это часть одного неразрывного целого, части которого сильно взаимосвязаны, и потому то, чем вы занимаетесь вне офиса, влияет на то, как вы выполняете свою работу. Подумайте о том, как ваше поведение в свободное время отражается на вашей деловой жизни, и напишите об этом.

If somebody had told me six months earlier that on a fall day in October I would be running in the Chicago marathon, I would have thought they were crazy. While I have always been a physically active person, running 26.2 miles would have seemed like a feat reserved for experienced athletes, not for someone like myself who jogged a mere three miles a few times a week. I never participated in any sports growing up; I focused instead on artistic and academic team activities, such as playing in the orchestra or competing on the high school speech team.

Nashville hosted its first marathon last spring and I was so inspired by the participation and dedication of thousands of people that I caught the "marathon bug" and decided to train. From a co-worker, I learned of the Galloway Program, a training regimen that claimed that running 26.2 miles could be fun, feasible, and injury-free. My first meeting was on a brisk Saturday morning in May. For some reason, I didn't fully grasp that this meeting was only the beginning of six long months of early Saturday mornings. There were about 60 people in the first meeting who encompassed all shapes, sizes and fitness levels. We were given our weekly training schedule and weekend mileage and placed into pace groups depending on our speed. I appreciated the discipline of the program and was motivated by both the noticeable results and camaraderie of the runners in my pace group. Because I was faithful to my weekly runs and cross training, I was able to add on mileage during the weekend. Before I knew it, I was able to run 10, 12, 15 miles, something I would never have thought myself capable of. My Saturday runs began earlier as the summer heat grew more intense. Though I often wondered what I was doing when my alarm went off at 4 a.m. on Saturday morning, I depended on the support of my running group. We helped each other get through the anxiety and doubting that we all faced before each long run.

I ran with my group Saturday morning, October 22 in Chicago. Crossing the finish line 5 hours and 39 minutes later, I felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. In addition to feeling physically stronger, I have also become more selfconfident and approach challenges with a "can-do" attitude.

I was brought up in a family that was internationally oriented, and intellectually and culturally open and diverse. My father was Chairman of the Islamic Art Department at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and a Professor at the Institute of Fine Arts of New York University. My mother is an archeologist specializing in Byzantine art and has participated in excavations in Turkey for the last eight years. I was encouraged from an early age to explore new subjects and modes of thought, and was exposed to diverse peoples and cultures on a regular basis. Friends of the family from around the world frequently visited our house. Even the decor of our house reflects the Middle East and Europe. When I had the chance to travel abroad, my experiences felt like an extension of the house in which I grew up. I traveled extensively throughout Europe and the Middle East. Eager to meet and exchange ideas with those I met, I actively learned foreign languages so as to better communicate and understand the countries and the peoples I was visiting. I am fluent in French and am proficient in German, Persian, and Arabic.